| 09-Aug | Women's Gold Medal Match 1:30 AM (09-Aug) |  | - |
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| 07-Aug | Women's Semifinals (completed) | | 2 |
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| 05-Aug | Women's Quarterfinals (completed) | | 2 |
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| 05-Aug | Women's Round of 16 (completed) | | 2 |
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| 02-Aug | Women's Preliminary - Pool C - Matches (completed) | | 2 |
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| 31-Jul | Women's Preliminary - Pool C - Matches (completed) | | 2 |
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| 29-Jul | Women's Preliminary - Pool C - Matches (completed) | | 2 |
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Tuesday, August 7, 2012
"Misty May-treanor" Schedule
Sensationally Decorated Maestro of Film and Stage
Marvin Hamlisch,
the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer who imbued his movie and Broadway
scores with pizazz and panache and often found his songs in the upper
reaches of the pop charts, died on Monday in Los Angeles. He was 68 and
lived in New York.
He collapsed on Monday after a brief illness, a family friend said.
For a few years starting in 1973, Mr. Hamlisch spent practically as much
time accepting awards for his compositions as he did writing them. He
is one of a handful of artists to win every major creative prize, some
of them numerous times, including an Oscar for “The Way We Were” (1973, shared with the lyricists Marilyn and Alan Bergman), a Grammy
as best new artist (1974), and a Tony and a Pulitzer for “A Chorus
Line” (1975, shared with the lyricist Edward Kleban, the director
Michael Bennett and the book writers James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas
Dante).
All told, he won three Oscars, four Emmys and four Grammys. His
omnipresence on awards and talk shows made him one of the last in a line
of celebrity composers that included Henry Mancini, Burt Bacharach and
Stephen Sondheim. Mr. Hamlisch, bespectacled and somewhat gawky, could
often appear to be the stereotypical music school nerd — in fact, at 7
he was the youngest student to be accepted to the Juilliard School at
the time — but his appearance belied his intelligence and ability to
banter easily with the likes of Johnny Carson and Merv Griffin. His
melodies were sure-footed and sometimes swashbuckling. “One,” from “A
Chorus Line,” with its punchy, brassy lines, distills the essence of the
Broadway showstopper.
“A Chorus Line,” a backstage musical in which Broadway dancers told
their personal stories, started as a series of taped workshops, then
evolved into a show that opened at the Public Theater in 1975 and moved
to Broadway later that year. It ran for 6,137 performances, the most of
any Broadway musical until it was surpassed by “Cats.”
“I have to keep reminding myself that ‘A Chorus Line’ was initially
considered weird and off the wall,” Mr. Hamlisch told The New York Times
in 1983. “You mustn’t underestimate an audience’s intelligence.” The
lyricist Alan Jay Lerner called “A Chorus Line” “the great show business
story of our time.”
Mr. Hamlisch had a long association with Barbra Streisand
that began when, at 19, he became a rehearsal pianist for her show
“Funny Girl.” Yet he told Current Biography in 1976 that Ms. Streisand
was reluctant to record what became the pair’s greatest collaboration,
“The Way We Were,” the theme from the 1973 movie of the same name in
which Ms. Streisand starred with Robert Redford.
“I had to beg her to sing it,” he said. “She thought it was too simple.”
Mr. Hamlisch prevailed, though, and the song became a No. 1 pop single,
an Oscar winner and a signature song for Ms. Streisand. They continued
to work together across the decades; Mr. Hamlisch was the musical
director for her 1994 tour and again found himself accepting an award
for his work, this time an Emmy.
Ms. Streisand said in a statement through her publicist that the world
will always remember Mr. Hamlisch’s music, but that it was “his
brilliantly quick mind, his generosity and delicious sense of humor that
made him a delight to be around.”
Mr. Hamlisch had his second-biggest pop hit with “Nobody Does It
Better,” the theme from the James Bond film “The Spy Who Loved Me,”
written with the lyricist Carole Bayer Sager. Carly Simon’s recording of the song reached No. 2 in 1977. Thom Yorke, the lead singer of the band Radiohead, which has performed the song in concert more recently, called it “the sexiest song ever written.”
Yet for all Mr. Hamlisch’s pop success — he and Ms. Bayer Sager also
wrote a No. 1 soul hit for Aretha Franklin, “Break It to Me Gently” —
his first love was writing for theater and the movies. His score for
“The Sting,” which adapted the ragtime music of Scott Joplin, made him a
household ubiquity in 1973.
Despite the acclaim he often said he thought his background scores were
underappreciated. He said he would love for an audience to “see a movie
once without the music” to appreciate how the experience changed. He
would go on to write more than 40 movie scores.
Marvin Frederick Hamlisch was born June 2, 1944, in New York . His
father, Max, was an accordionist, and at age 5 Mr. Hamlisch was
reproducing on the piano songs he heard on the radio; Juilliard soon
followed. According to his wife, Terre Blair, he was being groomed as
“the next Horowitz,” but when all the doors were closed and everyone was
gone he would play show tunes. He performed some concerts and recitals
as a teenager at Town Hall and other Manhattan auditoriums, but soon
gave up on the idea of being a full-time performer.
“Before every recital, I would violently throw up, lose weight, the
veins on my hands would stand out,” he told Current Biography.
He had no such reaction, though, when his song “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows,”
with lyrics by Howard Liebling, became a Top 20 hit in 1965 for Lesley
Gore, when Mr. Hamlisch was 21. The movie producer Sam Spiegel heard him
playing piano a few years later at a party and as a result Mr. Hamlisch
scored his first film, “The Swimmer.”
Mr. Hamlisch soon moved to Los Angeles, and the successes snowballed.
But he remained a New Yorker through and through. He once said he liked
New York because it was the one place “where you’re allowed to wear a
tie.”
Mr. Hamlisch is survived by Ms. Blair, a television broadcaster and producer, whom he married in 1989.
After “A Chorus Line,” Mr. Hamlisch scored another Broadway hit,
“They’re Playing Our Song,” based on his relationship with Ms. Bayer
Sager (who wrote the lyrics), in 1979. It ran for 1,082 performances.
After that, the accolades subsided but the work didn’t. He worked with
various lyricists on subesequent musicals, including “Jean Seberg”
(1983), which was staged in London but never reached Broadway, and
“Smile” (1986), which did reach Broadway but had a very brief run. His
most steady work continued to come from the movies. He wrote the
background scores for “Ordinary People,” “Sophie’s Choice” and, most
recently, “The Informant.” His later theater scores included “The
Goodbye Girl” (1993), “Sweet Smell of Success” (2002) and “Imaginary
Friends” (2002). He had also completed the scores for an HBO movie based
on the life of Liberace, “Behind the Candelabra,” and for a musical based on the Jerry Lewis film “The Nutty Professor,” which opened in Nashville last month.
According to his official Web site,
Mr. Hamlisch held the title of pops conductor for the Pittsburgh
Symphony Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas
Symphony Orchestra and others.
In more recent years, Mr. Hamlisch became an ambassador for music,
traveling the country and performing and giving talks at schools. He
often criticized the cuts in arts education.
“I don’t think the American government gets it,” he said during an
interview at the Orange County High School of the Arts in Santa Ana,
Calif. “I don’t think they understand it’s as important as math and
science. It rounds you out as a person. I think it gives you a love of
certain things. You don’t have to become the next great composer. It’s
just nice to have heard certain things or to have seen certain things.
It’s part of being a human being.”
Despite all his honors, Mr. Hamlisch was always most focused on, and
most excited about, his newest project. Ms. Blair said. And, she said,
he was always appreciative of his gift: “He used to say, ‘It’s easy to
write things that are so self-conscious that they become pretentious,
that have a lot of noise. It’s very hard to write a simple melody.’ ”
Aly Raisman wins gold in Olympic floor after bronze in beam
Aly Raisman finished the Olympics in style.
The U.S. captain matched Gabby Douglas in gold medals, winning the title on floor exercise Tuesday. Add in the bronze on balance beam from earlier in the day, and she becomes the most decorated of the Fierce Five.
"It definitely went better than I thought it would," Raisman said.
Good thing Raisman did so well because the rest of the Americans came up empty-handed. Douglas had another rough day, finishing seventh on balance beam after a fall. World champion Jordyn Wieber, voted most likely to leave the Olympics with the biggest haul, was seventh on floor and finishes without any individual medals.
Danell Leyva and Jonathan Horton were fifth and sixth, respectively, on high bar, leaving the U.S. men with only Leyva's all-around bronze.
"I'm so happy, going home with two Olympic gold medals and a couple of titles under my belt," Douglas said. "I'm so happy for Aly, she deserves to be up on that podium."
Raisman may not have Douglas' bubbly personality or Wieber's resume, but she is prized for her steadiness, and that consistency paid off big in London.
Energized by her surprise bronze on beam, Raisman's floor routine had an extra spark. Her tumbling passes were some of the most difficult, and she got such great height on them you could have parked a double-decker bus beneath her. Her landings were not only secure, one was so powerful it practically shook the floor.
Coach Mihai Brestyan was hopping up and down and pumping his fist as she finished, and even Raisman was impressed with herself, mouthing "wow" after she saluted the judges. When her score, a 15.6, was posted, teammate McKayla Maroney yelled "whoa!" so loudly from the stands it could be heard across the arena.
"I felt like I had nothing to lose," Raisman said. "It was going to be my last memory for London, so I just wanted to make it count and enjoy it."
Five gymnasts followed her, but none came close. When reigning Olympic champion Sandra Izbasa landed her final tumbling run on her head, Raisman let herself exhale. And smile.
It was the first Olympic gold on floor for a U.S. woman.
"It was definitely the best floor routine that I've ever done," Raisman said. "To have it be at the Olympic Games, in the finals, is just really amazing and just a dream come true. That's what you work for your whole life."
Catalina Ponor, the 2004 champion on floor, won the silver. Aliya Mustafina of Russia got the bronze, her fourth medal of the Olympics.
Deng Linlin won the gold on balance beam, upstaging teammate and reigning world champion Sui Lu. It was the second gold of the day for the Chinese, following Feng Zhe's title on parallel bars. Epke Zonderland won gold on high bar, the first medal for a Dutch man and only the second Olympic medal overall for the Netherlands in the sport.
Raisman had just missed a medal in the all-around, finishing with the same score as Mustafina but dropping to fourth on a tiebreak. But she was on the right end of the rules Tuesday, bumping Romania's Ponor off the podium for balance beam.
"It's a huge payback," Brestyan said. "She was a little bit disappointed after the all-around. It takes us two days to put her head back and it was hard work, but she stood up and today it was exactly what she was waiting for."
Raisman initially finished fourth with a score of 14.966. But she questioned it, and judges added an extra tenth to her routine's difficulty after a review. That gave her and Ponor identical scores of 15.066, but Raisman got the bronze because her execution score was higher.
BARELY THERE! Megan Rossee bikini photos show ALMOST ALL of her medal-winning form Before becoming Olympics gold-medalist Michael Phelps' girlfriend, Rossee posed for scanty swimsuit shots .
She looks like a perfect “10.”
Aspiring model Megan Rossee, the 25-year-old girlfriend of Olympic golden boy Michael Phelps, appeared in fine form during a swimsuit shoot in Southern California last December.
The 5-foot 10-inch blond posed for the bikini pics — including one with her arms covering up her untied top — right before she began dating the swimming phenom in January.
Their relationship reportedly became more serious leading up to the London Games — and the couple attracted serious attention during a red-carpet event for Speedo on Monday.
Aspiring model Megan Rossee, the 25-year-old girlfriend of Olympic golden boy Michael Phelps, appeared in fine form during a swimsuit shoot in Southern California last December.
The 5-foot 10-inch blond posed for the bikini pics — including one with her arms covering up her untied top — right before she began dating the swimming phenom in January.
Their relationship reportedly became more serious leading up to the London Games — and the couple attracted serious attention during a red-carpet event for Speedo on Monday.
Grenada declares half-holiday for runner James Olympic gold
(Reuters) - Grenada's prime minister declared a half-holiday on Tuesday and gave the entire island the afternoon off to celebrate runner Kirani James' Olympic gold medal in the men's 400 meter race.
It was the first Olympic medal ever won by an athlete from the tiny southeast Caribbean island of Grenada, which has just under 110,000 residents.
"This is a fantastic achievement," said Richard Simon, press secretary for Prime Minister Tillman Thomas. "This has basically given Grenada a sense of presence in the international community that we didn't have before in the context of world athletics."
After winning the semifinals on Sunday, James swapped nametags with South African Oscar Pistorius, a double amputee who runs on carbon fiber prosthetic blades after being born without a fibula in both legs. Pistorius failed to make the finals and James' touching gesture was televised around the world.
The Caribbean is enjoying stunning sprinting success at the London Games with Jamaican men and women dominating the 100 meters, and likely to win more medals in the 200 meters. Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic also won gold in the 400 meters hurdles.
Giant television screens were set up at four parks and stadiums so Grenadians could watch Monday's race at the London Games. Spectators dressed in the national colors of green, gold and red and streamed into the streets, blowing seashells and cheering after James surged home a half-second ahead of world junior champion Santos.
Government offices closed at midday and revelers streamed to James' hometown, the fishing village of Gouyave, for a rally. Calypso singers composed new songs in honor of James who is known as "The Jaguar."
"It's an early carnival for us," Simon told Reuters by telephone. "It's going to be a culmination basically of three or four days of celebration for Kirani's involvement in the Olympics. It's a huge party."
Revelers were invited to watch a webcast of the rally starting at 2:45 p.m. EDT (18:45 GMT) at www.viewpasstv.com/
Monday, July 23, 2012
'Ichiro' got acquired by 'Yankees' for two prospects
The Ichiro Suzuki era came to an abrupt end on an overcast Monday afternoon at Safeco Field, as the star outfielder crossed over to the visiting clubhouse to greet members of the New York Yankees -- his new teammates.
The blockbuster trade transpired so quickly, Yankees manager Joe Girardi was barely given enough warning not to put together an official lineup. Ichiro selected a uniform number -- No. 31 -- and found himself in that Yankees' lineup, batting eighth and playing right field against his former Mariners club.
"I'm going from a team having the most losses to a team with the most wins, so it's been hard to maintain my excitement in that regard," Ichiro said through an interpreter.
The Yankees sent right-handed pitchers D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar to Seattle in exchange for Ichiro. The deal also includes cash considerations. To create room on the 25-man roster for Ichiro, the Yankees designated outfielder Dewayne Wise for assignment.
"This was something that was a surprise," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "It's an opportunity. I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out for us, because I do think he can really help us. I look forward to seeing if that's the case or not."
As he revealed on Monday, Ichiro had approached the Mariners in recent weeks and asked them to seek a trade, believing that he no longer belongs on a younger, rebuilding Seattle club.
The Yankees eagerly welcomed the Japanese superstar with 2,533 career Major League hits, hoping he represents one of the final pieces that will help them secure a 28th World Series championship.
"I've enjoyed playing against him for 11 1/2 years; he's someone I've always admired from afar," Yankees captain Derek Jeter said. "I've had the opportunity to play with a lot of great players throughout the years. I'm looking forward to playing with him."
Girardi said that Ichiro can replace what the club felt it was missing without Brett Gardner, who is lost for the season with a right elbow injury. Girardi expects to play Ichiro in left and right field for the rest of the season.
"We're getting a very accomplished player," Girardi said. "Sometimes you need to create a run, and his defense is going to be outstanding -- 10 Gold Gloves -- and we're excited about that as well."
Ichiro is playing right field for now, as the Yankees expect to get Nick Swisher back from a left hip flexor strain when they return to the Bronx on Friday. Ichiro said that he does not have much experience in left field, but the thought does bring fond memories.
"I haven't played left for a long time, to be honest with you, but the last time I played left was a playoff game -- my first playoff game in Yankee Stadium [in 2001], so it's a very memorable position for me for that reason," he said.
Cashman said that the initial trade winds formed in conversations between Mariners president Chuck Armstrong and Yankees president Randy Levine. Cashman and his Mariners counterpart, Jack Zduriencik, hammered out the final agreement on Monday.
"This was a conversation that stood above the general managers," Cashman said. "Randy asked me, 'Would you have an interest in Ichiro? There might be something that could make sense.' From there we went."
As he was welcomed into the clubhouse, Ichiro shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes before hugging Freddy Garcia, a former Seattle teammate. Alex Rodriguez called Ichiro a "great guy."
Rafael Soriano, who also played with Ichiro in Seattle, jokingly admonished the outfielder, "Don't be late for stretch. 5:30." He heeded Soriano's warning; Ichiro was on time, jogging out of the third-base dugout to shrieks and cheers from his old home crowd.
Ichiro spent some of his time on Monday discussing uniform numbers with Rob Cucuzza, the club's equipment manager. Ichiro's No. 51 may be iconic, but when embroidered on a pinstriped jersey, it evokes Bernie Williams -- and no Yankee has worn it since. Ichiro yielded, selecting No. 31 instead.
"Of course No. 51 is a special number to me, but when I think about what 51 means to the Yankees, it's hard for me to ask for that number," Ichiro said. "I'd like to have a new number and then make that my own."
A 10-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner, Ichiro has experienced a dropoff this season with Seattle, batting .261 with four home runs, 28 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. He believes that a new beginning in New York will rejuvenate his performance.
"Of course, that is my intention," Ichiro said. "Especially looking at how the Yankees are doing right now, I just want to do whatever I can to be helpful to the Yankees."
President-elect Pranab Mukherjee's immediate test will be Afzal Guru's clemency petition
From being number two in the ruling coalition, Mukherjee is on his way to becoming the first citizen.
"I have got much more in return than I have given. I thank everyone who voted for me. I hope to do the job now entrusted to me - to defend and preserve the Constitution," Mukherjee said soon after it became clear that he was on the victory path.
The Congress veteran, with a political career spanning over 40 years, trounced Sangma - backed by the BJP, AIADMK and BJD - by 1,612 votes. He had reached the required halfway mark to register victory even when votes for 10 states were yet to be counted.
Mukherjee and Sangma congratulated each other after the results became obvious, but the bitterness that had taken root during the run up to the contest remained. Sangma accused the UPA of influencing states through economic packages, accusing the Congress of starting the dangerous trend. "There should be a code of conduct," the NDA nominee said.
Mukherjee's victory was a foregone conclusion as all major political parties had announced their support for his candidature, including the BJP's NDA partners the Janata Dal (United) and the Shiv Sena. Not only was the NDA divided, the contest also saw the UPA falling apart with the Trinamool Congress first opposing Mukherjee's candidature only to support him later.
In the Karnataka Assembly, Mukherjee secured 117 votes while Sangma polled 103 votes. Had there been no cross voting, Mukherjee would have secured 98 votes - 71 from the Congress and 27 from the JD-S, which supported his candidature. At least 13 MLAs from the party appeared to have voted for Mukherjee.
Sources in the Sangma camp, however, claimed he got 15 unexpected votes in Jammu and Kashmir, and three each in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. But Sangma, who projected himself as representative of tribals, lost in Arunachal Pradesh.
In all other BJP ruled states such as Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, he polled more votes than Mukherjee. Tamil Nadu and Orissa, ruled by the AIADMK and BJD respectively, also polled in favour of Sangma.
Mukherjee's victory came as a big boost for Congress president Sonia Gandhi as much was put at stake by her. She termed the victory as people's faith in the UPA. She visited Mukherjee's residence to congratulate him. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife were also one of the first persons to visit Mukherjee's house.
Trinamool chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was one among the first to congratulate him.
The thumping majority has also provided the Congress-led UPA with much needed political resuscitation in its three-year tenure marred by corruption scandals, policy indecision and recalcitrant allies. Predictably, party workers hit the streets across the country in wild celebrations as the party won its first big election in recent years.
Mukherjee, who will be sworn in on Wednesday, will have to cross another hurdle. The BJP and Sangma will move the Supreme Court next week challenging his election on the ground that he held an office of profit while filing his nomination and his resignation from the post of chairman of the Indian Statistical Institute was invalid.
Mukherjee would have a tough job once he assumes charge. The controversial mercy petition of Afzal Guru will be his immediate test. His biggest test will come two years later when the country goes to the polls in 2014. Any fractured mandate would bring his role into sharp focus.
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